The Girl From The Wild
by ClockworkLlama
Summary: Katia was rejected from Berk when her parents died. Growing up alone in the wild, she found herself, but when she finds an injured night fury, she forces herself to go back to the village, for the dragons' sake. But she finds more than she was looking for, much more.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first fanfiction :D Never really showed anyone my stories so this is all very new to me. Please forgive me if I do anything wrong I'm really not used to this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any How To Train Your Dragon characters and content, but any OC's that are new are mine.**

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Katia Walstone stood on a rock that perched over a cliff, not far from Berk. Dragons poured past her, gliding underneath the coal black clouds that spat out a heavy downfall, and occasionally the odd flash of bright light struck from the skies. She heard the distant but familiar Viking cry, that echoed inside her brain. At least she had one. She had been orphaned at a young age, her parents being taken by dragons one night. The family had a bad reputation, being the least wealthy of them all, and, at five years old, she'd had to live her life on stealing small pieces of food and equipment at night, hardly showing herself. Now she was fourteen, she questioned what she would do with her life. She scarcely displayed herself, until two years ago, when she had her last chance.

The last time she had appeared publicly, she'd managed to find an old, unused axe, unfortunately, she was caught, and was forced to run from the village, so she swore to herself that she would never go back.

After she'd outgrown her clothes, she decided that if she was rejected, she would have to make do. Now, she crafted herself her own clothes. Strips of leather were wrapped around her feet, and tied half way up her shins, and her wrists were strengthened with yet more leather fastened in a similar style. An old piece of a ships sail served as a corset-style bodice, the thick canvas torn and repaired in multiple places, and covered in grass stains that didn't wash out. From her old clothes, she'd made some other small pieces, including a navy-blue skirt from her tunic. It wasn't the most practical, but it kept her relatively warm and made her decent, should she be seen by anyone, not that it was very likely.

She tore herself from her thoughts, she swept her long raven braid from her face and focused her lapis lazuli eyes on the dark night in front of her. A monstrous nightmare suddenly turned its head to face her, its yellow eyes wide. It made a low warbling sound has it streaked past and returned to its original position. Realising that her skin was soaked through, Katia turned back on herself and headed back to her refuge. Navigating her way through the birch forest, leaping over puddles and small ditches.

A small fire was lit in the clearing she called her home. A fallen-down tree lay nearby, and a satchel, an axe, and a fur cloak rested on the bark. With a heavy sigh, she dropped down cross legged by the log, and pulled the fur over her shoulders. As tough skinned as she was, from hours of the harsh winds of Freezing-to-Death tugging at her skin and face viciously, and being scraped at and scratched by brambles and thorns, she enjoyed the comforts of the flames spitting playfully, and the heavy fur draped around her small body. Closing her eyes, Katia felt a wave of drowsiness washing over her, and started drifting away... 

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In a split second, the tiredness was snatched from her body, and her eyes shot open. The sharp sound that she'd once feared as a child returned. Night Fury. The 'unholy offspring of lightening and death itself' had just arrowed the starlit sky, the rest of the dragons already raiding. She'd only ever seen the faint black outline in the air, unlike the others, which had showed themselves up close. A sharp 'twang' of excitement burst inside, and an awed look was pasted onto her face. She knew many a Viking who would give everything to slay the beast, for not only would it bring everything back, but would bestow such honour to them. They would go down in history, because no one had ever even seen one, let alone take its life.

But then, something changed within her. She knew that dragons had killed her parents, but never once had they harmed her directly. Even now, when she was only armed when she was boar hunting, they never even scratched her. So, being the forgiving person she was, she found herself being at peace with them. If someone was going to give up so much to kill a night fury, one day they probably will succeed, even though every person currently on Berk had a brain the size of seed, and that was if they had a brain. There was only one of feared creature that showed itself at once, so it was most likely that there was only one. If he was one of the last of his kind, and was killed, that would be the end of them.

A blast of electric blue light was spewed from the sky and exploded into a large quantity of flames. The light was clear even from across the sea; though her abode was still very close. Katia could just make out a small bat-like shape spear the sky, before yet another plasma blast was fired. More shouting followed and more flames flickered into the night.

As if it went all too quickly, a terrible screech could be heard, exceedingly loud and as clear as sun rose and fell, and then a crash whispered through the trees, Katia felt numb. She had no idea what to do. Nine years of being out, going solo, had carved her personality so intricately, making her so sure and confident in her own decisions, and now she forgot about that. Across the horizon, a pale orange colour in the low sky signalled that it was dawn. Only this time, she forgot about being at peace with the world, and finding herself. This was her chance. If she did this, she would finally be accepted into the community. She would be able to socialise with people, Berkians even, not just her reflection in the lake or the words she said out loud, to no one in particular. They would welcome her with open arms, give her a home, a status. She would have friends. She was going to have to kill it.

Racing against the person she was yesterday, she grabbed her second-hand axe and continued down to the pathway. Blindly running, she knew that she should be able to get to it before anyone on Berk. They would have to make their way out of the village before they'd even get close. She knew the world around her well, she thought to herself, but no. That was the person before she had this chance. Now she was just straying further and further away, her small body alive with a new energy, adrenaline being overdosed to her veins. Her eyes were perfectly fine, it was her head that was blind and unseeing. Her heart was still there, pleading her to stop, but for the first time in her life, her head was bigger, ideas bigger and more daring than ever.

Her world as she knew it was spiralling back down, and soared behind her. 'I can do this!' She yelled out loud. The spark inside of her was evergreen.

She stopped suddenly when she realised she was technically on Berks ground. Raven Point. Her heart racing, beating in overdrive, she brushed the thought of being in the village that had treated her and her family so badly from her shoulders. Unshaken, she continued forward, still burning on the inside. What would they think of her? They would love her! But it wasn't even her that had shot it down. Ah well! She'll say that it broke free from the ropes and only bring the heart after a few days.

Lost in thought, she'd been oblivious to the fact that a tree had been torn down forcefully, broken. That a path had been etched deeply and unnaturally into the ground. This was it. Her curiosity getting the better of her, and she found her footing in the damp earth as she peered around her. The world around stood dangerously in her mind, and jumped back when a jet-black wing was seen behind a boulder. Her breathing got heavy and unrhythmic, something that rarely happened. She peeked over the tree she'd hidden behind, trying to be brave, when she realised that the beast was well and truly stuck. Already dead, perhaps. The ropes of a bola were snapped around him, his feet tied back to his body.

Her grip tightened around her weapon, the handle old and worn, and found herself creeping towards the dragon. Looking closer, she saw that on his front right foot the rope was wrapped painfully deep into the scaly dark skin.

"This isn't who you are!'' begged her heart, forced to beat faster, working harder than ever. She paid no attention to what was spoken, she couldn't hear it, she chose not to. Her arm slowly rising, her axe somehow steady in her shaking hand. One step forward was all it took. Gaining confidence in her newfound self, her arched back straightened, her head being held high upon her broad-shouldered self.

Steps away from the infamous devil, axe held at the same height as her head, ready to strike. So alive with energy, she struggled to take it all in. Normally, she would have taken her time, planned it through with detail in every single scenario that was possible. Now, she was inhaling oxygen so fast, dizziness began to take over her, her Viking blood burning, searing through her skin. Axe now held high above her head, she stood closer to the dragon than anyone had before.

She prepared herself, filling her lungs, and forcefully yanked her axe down hard, but then…. Right before the blunted blade grazed the scales, half a millimetre away, she stopped. This wasn't who she was. She couldn't do this! She was Katia Walstone, born in the community, forged in the wild. She took only what she needed, no excessive killing. She would slay a boar or two for food, and maybe a yak for leather and furs. This wasn't necessary, she didn't need fame, or a fortune. She wasn't going to bring glory for once to her family and ancestors. She was herself, strong both emotionally and physically, unafraid to show her feelings, but showing off her muscles was vain. She despised of displaying any signs of physical strength to anyone, should anyone find her.

Her axe dropped to the ground, and the blade split in two. But that wasn't what she paying attention to now. This was a beautiful creature, filled with skills of agility and speed, great power in his plasma. She tore her eyes from the broken blade lying limply on the mossy stones, and redirected them to the dragon. The creature took a mighty breath of relief, and then rolled backwards, and in the pain of having his wings and feet strained against each other, whined in a low, feeble note. Katia fell back against the boulder, shaken by the fact that she could have almost performed such a horrific deed. She too made a small whimpering sound, which alerted the creature, and her eyes widened greatly, even more than they already were, when a pair of bright, lime green eyes stared back at her own, with slits of the darkest shade of night. Katia backed away further, scared out of her wits. She wasn't afraid to display her emotions like this, not when no one could see her.

'This is all my fault,' a small whisper escaped her lips. If any of the Berkians found him, it would be a ticket for certain death. She had to help it.

Without thinking, she flicked the sharpest half of her broken axe into her hand with her toe, and set to work. She sliced her way through the ropes, and stopped and gasped when she saw the tale. Half of it was gone! Only half of the creature's tail fin was left. It must have been torn off when the bola had it him. She realised what it meant. If a dragon can't fly, he can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon, and this one certainly couldn't fly, not like this. She would have to hide him, the villagers could find him in his condition, and then that would be the end of that. The young girl continued her work, and she sensed that the dragon was frightened, more so than her. She spoke softly to the Night Fury, instinctively whispering calming words.

'But they will.' She warned. 'You need to go, if they find you, I don't want to think what they'll do. I'm here for 'It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!'' she sawed through the rope, gently tugging at it to pull it free.

you, you should know that. I hate people too, I was a burden to them. I'll help you if you need me. Not that you probably will, you're so strong and powerful. But right now you need to find shelter before they find you.'

She had finished her handiwork of freeing him, and now he got back to his feet. She could see that he was greatly pained when he moved. He stared into her eyes, his own dilating, and he moved closer to her face. He sniffed her, but she still showed no fear, as she realised he would not hurt her, because when she looked into his eyes, so distant and far-off, yet so close it felt penetrative. He gave a warble of approval, and his pupils returned to their usual slits, and he bounded off into the trees and into a grove that Katia recognised.

She would return, she knew it, but first she'd have to do something she swore she would never do again.

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 **Again, I would like to apologise for any mistakes made, but if you're reading this it means you got to the end! I thank you for your patience with my work, it means a lot to me. If you did enjoy, please leave a review, or if you have any suggestions, please add them, all constructive criticism is accepted! Well, I guess that's that then, I'll be on my way:D**


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is a shorter chapter, but I will be posting a longer third one so I hope it makes up for it. It seems so unreal to me that people have actually enjoyed my work, and I'd like to thank everyone who has given their time to read this.**

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Katia leant against the boulder, staring after the creature. So many feared it, and lived for the glory of killing one, and yet here she was, freeing one and coming within inches of it without being murdered herself. The way it had tilted its head and stared at her, as if taking this new, different human.

She felt angered at herself for being so selfish, so careless. What had happened to the peaceful at heart young girl that she'd learned and trained to be? Her breathing was still heavy, and was tense from the last few minutes' happenings. She swept her bangs from her forehead, while stumbling forwards, feeling a little faint. Picking up the broken blades from her axe and the splintering handle, not really seeing what she was facing, feeling her way over the mossy stones and leafy grass.

Katia leapt over pebbles, satchel slung over her shoulder. Nerves tingled inside her stomach, flittering around like summer butterflies. To the village, she Berk. She planned on observing the community, to see if it was safe to go in, and at what time. Fur cloak draped around her, she paused now and again to listen out for straying Vikings or any children playing. If her memory was correct, the younger ones enjoyed swimming in the creek just off the side of the Dark Oak Monument. So far, nothing. It gave her both reassurance and more worries at once.

As she neared the village, the voices got louder, and the butterflies inside got more and more impatient. She hadn't been in any contact with other humans for such a long time, and it made her shake. Looking up, the mountain peak that twisted dangerously over Berk came into view, just as she remembered. Perfect, she thought to herself. She would have to avoid the miserable old Mildew's hut and farm, not to mention pesky Fungus the sheep. If he still existed, that was. He had been there ever since she remembered, wreaking havoc in amongst the Berkians.

Katia pulled out her two blades and rope from her satchel as she neared the base of the mountain. Dangerously close to the villagers, she climbed the mountain, finding certain footing on the sharp rocks which started to cut through even the tough, thick layer of leather wrapping on her feet. Swaying fiercely in the stabbing winds, she gripped tighter with her hands, piercing the stone and hard ground with her blades, blunting them drastically. The air whistling in her ears, giving her a sharp pain in her head.

When she found herself standing above the ground, higher up than she'd ever dared climb before in her life, she packed her now useless blades and the fragile rope back in her bag, and enjoyed the cool breeze that plucked at her skin gently, much tamer than the winds that tore her apart on the way up. Digging her feet deep into the dirt, she held onto the stones that stuck out from the edge, and peered down at the work below her. Huts of all sorts, painted with brightly coloured patterns on the overhangs. She could make out faces on the ground, if she focused hard enough, and leant forwards. Men and women carried weapons; axes and war hammers in their overly large hands. Villagers pushing filled wheelbarrows across the streets. Work was being done on many of the huts, repairs from the earlier raid.

Something pained Katia inside her though. All of their faces were fierce with the standard 'Viking' look if she really squinted, something that was a very distant memory if she closed her eyes and thought hard. Yells that she couldn't quite make out were echoing against the rock. Standing back from the edge, after seeing the village from such a distance above, the feeling of dizziness washed over her. There were so many of them, and only one of her. Only one that had been raised by the wilderness, only one that hadn't grown up with the saying 'kill or be killed' forged into her head. Only one who stood out so much.

This was where she was born. She couldn't just ignore it, not now. If the night fury hadn't managed to somehow grow an extra tail fin and flown off within the last hours, it would still be there, waiting for her. She could help him, he would be the first.

Katia stood over the edge, when her long mass of raven hair fell loose from its complicated braid that she reworked every so often. A smile left her face, and widened as she remembered. This was who she was. Wild and bold and brave. She could do anything and everything she wanted. The world gave her freedom from work and responsibilities. She didn't have to do anything the people told her to do, she didn't have to be who she was told to be. She could fly away, almost. She felt the warm light kiss her pale skin, the breeze playfully teasing her waist length hair, blowing it away from her face, whipping out behind her.

She found herself skipping warm-heartedly across what little space she had atop the mountain. She carried on, her eyes closing. She didn't need eyes to see around her, to feel. Everything was right in her world, she told herself, yet she didn't need telling that again, not really.

But little did she know, that down below, in the village, an auburn locked boy was strolling across to where he was needed, when he looked up through the light mist that never left the mountain, and spotted a bright-eyed girl with flowing, dark hair standing on the teetering mountain top.

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 **I hope you all enjoyed this, but if you have any suggestions, please leave them as all constructive criticism is taken into consideration, but please no flames.**

 **Note: I give out no spoilers to anyone, and no amount of begging will change this.**

 **Again, I would like to thank you, but I'll see you guys later :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this is the third chapter! In my mind I never thought I would ever get this far. This is the longer piece, as promised, so I hope you enjoy it. For those wondering, Hiccup is basically the same Hiccup we all know and love, and I try not to stray far form canon. I apologise once more for any grammar and spelling mistakes, I am still in Comp (Middle school). Anyway, this is the chapter where Hiccup is essentially introduced, and I worked pretty hard on trying to picture myself as the characters in the scenes. Well, I should probably shut up now, so, Chapter 3!**

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(Hiccup)

'I'll be needing an extra pair of hands in the forge soon, Hiccup!' Gobber yelled out from where he was sitting in the Hall.

Over in the corner, Great Stoick The Vast's fishbone of a son picked at his tasteless broth from his corner as he yet a gain stared longingly at the other teens. It wasn't that he couldn't do anything, it was just everyone else was so much better than him. He was constantly being picked on by the others, especially Snotlout, who was by far the most looked up to. Fishlegs was pretty strong, but he had the brain of fifty Berks all together, maybe more, and the Thorston twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, were a good sport that could make any one laugh. No one could swing a battle axe better than Astrid, one of the strongest girls the village had ever seen, and Snotlout was well, Snotlout. While Hiccup was technically first in line for the chief's position, but Snotlout was just so much stronger, he had more of a status. He was the son Stoick would have wanted.

Hiccup slammed his bowl down in frustration. He couldn't stand it! They were all sitting together, laughing, doing impressions, enjoying themselves without him. He was constantly looked down on, never given a chance. The small room at the back of Gobber's forge served as a small office, where Hiccup kept many pieces of parchment that had on them designs and blueprints for new weapons and devices, but when the rare occurrence that he had a chance to show them to people came up, something always went wrong and the others would have to sweep up what he'd done, groaning. At this rate, he would be stuck like this forever.

He exited Meade Hall with clenched hands, and forcefully plunged his feet into the steps leading up.

'One day they'll be sorry, one day!' He muttered through gritted teeth.

'One day, I'll do somethi-' Hiccup was cut off by a surprising sight, which made him freeze in his steps. Something was moving on top of the mountain that loomed over Berk. Or rather Someone! As he focused harder on the mountain above him, he jumped back in surprise at the sight of a girl's figure, with long black hair streaking out behind her. When he looked again, the girl was gone, as if nothing was ever there.

Hiccup was spooked. No one on Berk looked like that. Could it have been a spy? From another village? Maybe they were preparing for attack! But it didn't look like that. Blindly stumbling down the rest of the stone steps, something inside told him not to mention it to anyone. After all, it could have just been his imagination!

He shook the distraction from his mind, it was just making him think more than he had to. However, a small stone in his stomach remained, and it wouldn't go away.

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(Katia)

Two days later, Katia had found the dragon again, but hadn't yet approached it, seeing as it looked so stressed. It must have realised it can't fly. When she had found him, he had gotten himself stuck in the grove, and without his entire tail fin, no amount of jumping and flapping his wings frantically would get him out. She knew she had to help him, dragons can't just grow half a tail fin, she just didn't know how.

Now, she was walking by the river, hoping the gentle sound of the flowing water would give her some ideas. She had spent so long by its side, she didn't know whether she was going insane or she could actually hear it whispering to her. So far, nothing had come, and she had about as many ideas as a singed piece of fire log. Her heart was steady in its pace, and everything was right in her world again. This is the life she dreamed of once. She thought to herself if anyone in the world wanted exactly what she had. Her feet were turned out as she nimbly leapt over the stepping stones she often used. She hadn't yet redone her hair so it hung loosely about her shoulders. But she didn't need to worry about that. She did what she wanted in her own time.

Snapped from her thoughts, she heard something move in the trees. Unarmed, Katia stood her ground, knees bent for stability on the slippery stone. A frustrated yell rang about through the world around her, followed closely by a stick being clumsily launched across the stream. Katia didn't move. She was frozen in terror, not for the spear but the fact that there was another human within such close range.

"Always! Why does this always have to happen!" A male voice made Katia's head spin in fright, her breathing suddenly quickening.

"'I go about my business and there Snotlout is, talking with Dad as if he was his own father!" Katia's legs were now shaking so much she almost lost her over-the-years perfected balance. A young boy, maybe a little shorter than herself had appeared, but seemingly hadn't noticed her, or anything around him. His hair was of an auburn shade, short and messy covering a freckled face. He headed in the direction of his spear, still oblivious to the girl that was metres in front of him.

"I just wish someone would listen for- WOAHHHH"' A cry was let out as he fell into the stream. It was deeper than it looked and very powerful. Katia had found herself almost drowning once.

Thinking fast, she leapt forward from her stationary position, instincts kicking in, and followed the strange boy down the stream. A hand shot up from the water as he took a blind attempt to take a breath. Katia took this as a chance to aid him, and her own arm flicked outwards to grab hold of his, while she wrapped the other around the closest tree within reach. She strained her arm to drag him upwards and outwards, digging her feet deep into the damp ground. Once she had certain grip on him, she hauled him up with both hands, leaning back for balance. The boy gasped, spluttering up water with a raspy coughing sound. He groaned deeply, and rolled onto his side. Katia had stepped back nervously, trying to hide herself from him. He was definitely from Berk; he had the crest stitched onto his tunic. However, the trees were still new and weren't very thick, and so they provided little to no camouflage. He turned his head to face his rescuer, when a pair of leaf green eyes snapped open, as bright as emeralds. The girl from the mountain.

Katia took a small step towards the boy. Still afraid and unsure, but something deep inside told her not to hide, that he wouldn't hurt her.

Still astonished at the fact that what he had seen in the earlier days had actually been real, he tried to stand up, but ended up falling against a tree.

'You're the, I mean, you're the, the girl that I saw, aren't you!' He said, his face cocked to one side, an eyebrow raised. He looked understandably unsure, and stepped back nervously.

A small sound escaped her; she was equally as confused. Had he seen her?

'From the mountain peak. Aren't you?' He gave further information, but in a more questioning manner. Another step back.

So he had seen her.

"Uhhhh, yeah," She replied slowly. Her voice sounded different out loud to when it rang out inside her head normally. She was now more anxious over whether or not he knew anything else about her.

"Hmm. You seem pretty friendly. Can I trust you?" He found his feet and confronted the girl he had seen days before, staring up into her eyes, almost in a glaring fashion.

"Yes." A simple answer, staring back into his eyes. This satisfied and proved to the boy that she was, indeed, trustworthy.

"Hiccup. The name's Hiccup."

"Katia." Her name came smoothly, yet still slowly. She lifted her face so that it was level with his and, to her surprise, she fell backwards, blue eyes open wide in an expression Hiccup couldn't quite make out.

"Hiccup. Hiccup?" She repeated his name, broken up softly, as a flashback of memories washed over her.

She remembered running from a forest-green eyed boy through the trees, splashing through puddles, her giggle echoing. She remembered his laugh that followed. They were kids. She was Katia, the girl who hadn't a family. He was Hiccup, the chief's son. Hiccup. The name bounced off every wall inside her head. She knew him. She remembered him.

"Katia." He whispered the name slowly, and it seemed that he to was remembering is side of the story. He remembered finding a dark haired girl sitting in a secluded area behind the houses, curled up and crying. He had sat down beside her, and hugged her tightly, recalling how he felt sometimes when he thought about his mother.

They had only been children at the time, apparent friends. Seeing each other so much older shocked the both of them.

He pulled her to her feet and into a warm embrace that lasted for some time. His arms wrapped around her, and comforted her seeing as she hadn't had any human contact for the last nine years. Katia stiffened, but didn't shy away. It was his sweet nature to comfort people. And she had forgotten the feeling of warmth from another person.

"But, how did you live?" Hiccup asked quietly, breaking away.

Katia gave him a confused look, still shocked and feeling anxious.

"You were drifting away, until one day you were just, gone. Everyone back on Berk thinks you were taken by dragons! How did you escape and survive on your own? I mean, you were five at the time! How does a five year old manage on their own in the wild?" He questioned, pressing his gaze deep into her eyes. This was a lot to take in, for the both of them.

"Well, to be honest I don't really remember most of it, but the dragons have never hurt me. I stayed close to the village stealing small items first, before I moved away for good. I guess I kind of just learned from trial and error. I gave myself basic defence lessons, and just, went from there." Katia shrugged, still not used to the whole 'conversation' thing.

The sun was closing in on the horizon, a low pink light slowly spreading over the skies like milk.

"I should be going then," Hiccup said, removing his hands from her back. "Meet me at the edge of Berks' closest forest tomorrow morning."

A small nod was performed in agreement, before she said "Will you be okay to get back on your own?"

"I'll be fine. What about you, though?" He asked.

"I've done this for the last eight years, I think I'll be okay." She replied, a hint of sarcasm tinting her voice.

Hiccup took a small step backwards with a small smile, before turning around and returning to Berk. Katia stared at where he had been standing for quite some time before she shook herself out of it. But that didn't stop the gleeful look on her face from leaving as she headed back to her camp.

It had been enough to take in for one day, and the thought of the night fury pained her. Hiccup was still there though. The only one, ironically the chief's son, who cared not for wealth status. The only one who had been there for her. But she'd had to go, driven out by the rest of Berk's population.

Still, it was a heck of a lot for her. First the night fury, and now Hiccup? Boy would she have a good thinking to do that night.

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 **That was the third chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, it makes me so happy when I get positive feedback, so please review, and if you did like it, come back, as unless I actually say that I'll stop writing this, I won't! If you have anything you would like to suggest, please leave that too, because, as always, all criticism is taken into account, but flames are ignored, so don't even bother.**

 **I guess I'll be back in a few days then, and let me know if you would like more frequent posts, as that is possible (I write mostly on the school bus and when I can't sleep), but I write for my personal enjoyment so as long as it doesn't cut into my separate school work and other hobbies, it's fine!**

 **I feel like I've cleared quite a bit up now, so bye for now! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys! :D So I know I haven't posted in while, I think I'm about a week late? Anyway, I have been super stressed in the last few weeks, but it's summerrrrrrrr! Mega excited even though I haven't done anything yet and I know I'm not going to move at all until my freedom comes to the end, but, that does mean I have much more time to write. I just want to say thank you for your patience, the last week I've had some really bad swings of depression and sadness, so I haven't really felt anything. I do hope you read my notes, by the way, I explain a lot of random stuff that could possibly be important? Anyway I haven't written that much lately, but when I was watching Inside Out (go watch it if you haven't already, it's amazing) at 4am i got incredibly emotional and started crying uncontrollably (why am I like this?) and then something went off in my head and I played some sad songs and then put on the HTTYD soundtrack and started writing. So that's why this is so late and I guess just, enjoy!**

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In the darkening light, Katia headed down her trail towards the grove. In the excitement of finding Hiccup she had almost lost thought about it. The grin still written all over her face, she made her way through the thick forest and over the familiar pathways she had walked over many times.

Once she arrived, she stayed low and steady. She wanted not to either offend or frighten him, just to get another glimpse at him. She picked a hooked stick from the ground and tossed it into the air, testing it. _Not bad_. On all fours, she crawled forward, through the mossy ground and leaf curtain she had copied into her memory. She paused. _He was close_. She could sense him. Somewhere.

Something had happened to Katia over the years. She had adopted the ability to sense things before they even happened. Like if a branch would snap just by feeling the air. By sensing the air and the world around her. And often, she would sense that a terrible terror had just come down and perched on a tree rather than hear its small wings beating and the tree leaves rustling.

Using the stick to help with balance and jumping down the rocky walls, hooking it over ledges and such. The air around her felt warmer, but yet colder, more fresh, like something was about to happen. In what little light she had, she pieced out a darker shape next to a pile of boulders. She turned around, loose hair whipping behind her with a crisp swishing sound. The low moon light glimmered upon a small body of water, a lake. Stars were beginning to show themselves, shining brightly, lighting up the darkness that surrounded.

When she turned back around, she was astounded. A huge pair of lime green eyes stared at her so intently she could almost feel the black slits clawing at her. She stared back into him, hoping he would feel her gaze as she could his. Most of his body was hidden, camouflaging as it should in the night. Her hand dropped her stick. Katia straightened her back, pulling her shoulders with her. She and her arm out, and made a simple gesture to come forward. He sniffed at her and leaned his head to one side. One step backwards. Her eyeline moved not. Another step. He took a step. Three steps, quickening the pace. He took three steps at her same speed. He realised what she had done. She had guided him into the beams let down by the moon.

She could see him better now. Rough scaly skin exactly how she remembered. His ears accompanied by several other nubs that lined his face, their use she knew not of. His tale wrapped around his side with a slow yet swift movement. She felt his warm breath on her skin, prickling her in a way she'd never felt.

'So this is what it's like to look into a dragons' soul,' thought Katia privately, but somehow it didn't feel so private, not with him staring so intensely.

Being a dragon, especially a night fury, he could see even in he dark, but now he could see the bright shine in her eyes, her expression glittering. She wasn't scared. This was new. This was very new. But at the same time, it felt like he was the change that was meant to be. Night furies are known for their smarts and being one of the cleverest dragons ever discovered, but this was something that any dragon could see. Her soul was that of a dragon.

She belonged in the wilderness. So did he. He knew of his strengths, and only used them when necessary. So did she.

The dragons' pupils dilated, and he sat back on his hindquarters. He made a low purring sound that reminded Katia of the hug she had not long ago shared with Hiccup. But she swept all thoughts of that behind her. One of the most feared creatures was here in front of her, yet the beauty of it only grew. With his huge eyes and ears, he looked almost _cute_.

Feeling the quiet stare upon her, Katia realised that she'd have to prove herself. Normally she'd think quickly, but here, she had all the time in the world in her hands.

Katia pulled her face into a rare smile, and opened her eyes wide. She drew herself up, and held her arms out wide, showing there were no hidden weapons. Above them, the moon was rising, dawning upon a turn of events.

To her surprise, the dragon replicated her actions, ears and nubs sticking up, a gummy smile spreading across his face.

"Toothless?" A small mutter was heard. Almost in reply to her puzzlement, he drew out a set of sharp white teeth and retracted them again.

A look of awe and fascination designed itself over her face. He was becoming more amazing than she'd ever imagined. A thought came to her. She looked at her hands, weathered and tough skinned from living as she did, and held them out for him to inspect. He sniffed them and leans his head on one side. She drew them back and hope filled her entire body, a kind of adrenaline she'd never experienced before. One last breath, before her right hand outstretched once more, and closed her eyes for the dragon's reassurance.

A shock pumped through her hand and to the rest of her body like lightning. It felt like nothing she'd ever dreamed of. Like, one hundred knives piercing her skin, but she felt no pain. There were no words to describe the sensation.

Katia raised her head again, and opened her eyes, meeting those of the dragon. The burning stare prickled its way down her back. His pupils were dilated, and his body was in a vulnerable position, showing that he trusted her. The dragon tilted his head in curiosity. In all the world he had seen, nothing had been quite as extraordinary as this. This was a _human_ , yet she placed her trust in him. When he looked into her eyes, he saw wonder.

Moonlight poured into the grove from the huge white orb hovering in the sky above them. The smile on Katia's face grew because somewhere up there, Odin gave them his blessing.

* * *

Hiccup

Hiccup sprinted back to the village in the darkening sky.

He was very much confused about what had just happened, and realized just how insane the whole thing really was. A girl who had been practically exiled into the outskirts of the village had managed to survive on her own? It seemed a little overkill to Hiccup, but he supposed it wasn't entirely impossible. However it still felt a little surreal to him. Perhaps he had just imagined it. But his skin was still damp though, from falling into the river. He snatched his arm up from his side, and looked at it. His wrist was grazed lightly from the leather that had scratched him. _She was real_.

Hiccup had reached the village, and stopped. Should he tell someone? But then he remembered that her family was a disgrace to the Berkian community, and people tended not to speak of them. In fact, even though Stoick had cared a little for Audhild Walstone, Katia's mother, because on more than one occasion she had offered to mind Hiccup when he was being a nuisance, Stoick was rather glad that he didn't have to watch over them excessively after they were stolen by dragons one night, when Katia and Hiccup were both only five.

Hiccup still felt a little shaken as he trudged through the thicket to get to his house. He shivered in the cold autumn winds that always picked from Freezing-to-Death, and tripped over a stone that he swore had not been there that morning.

The door to Great Stoick the Vast's house squealed as Hiccup pushed it open, and then snapped angrily as it slammed behind him. Sitting by the fire was his father, red hair tied back.

"Son."

Hiccup sighed heavily, and dragged himself from his route upstairs to a safe distance away, but still close enough to be heard.

"Oh, uh, yeah?"

"I'll be going away for some time. Try to find the nest again."

"So… good luck?"

"Dragon training. With the other teens, starting tomorrow. Gobber will be in charge, we need new recruits while I'm gone." Stoick didn't move his gaze from something wooden in his hands that he seemed to be carving.

"Oh. Well. Thanks Dad." Hiccup tried to show no emotion at this, and returned back to his original path to his bedroom. He seemed to not be paying attention at all, until his Dad looked up at him and coughed.

"Well I'd expect you to be a little more excited than that! You were begging me last week!"

"Huh?"

"Oh for Thor's sake! Dragon training tomorrow morning!"

Hiccup instantly perked up at this. This was his chance!

"Really Dad?" A nod came from Stoick.

"Thanks!" Hiccup thought about hugging his father but then had second thoughts and took a step back. "Well if that's all you need me for I'll just get going." Hiccup turned back to the stairs and made for them but he was stopped by his father.

Stoick sat up, and put whatever he had been carving down.

"No son. I'm not done with you yet. I want you to sit her with me, we have something important to talk about."

Hiccup was not pleased with this. 'The old honey and the hatchet' he thought. He wondered what he had unknowingly caused know by purely existing. But he thought it as best not to start an argument now, so calmly went over to a stool next the fire and sat down.

"Son, as you know, these attacks have been getting worse and worse, and more frequent too. This village is more dangerous than ever, we had four deaths in the last!"

Hiccup pondered over what this might have to do with him, and if this conversation was about him at all.

"Well I don't know how to explain this. But… well… I just don't think… that… well… if anything were to happen to me that you'd… well… be able to run the village."

Hiccup, as you can imagine was extremely put out by this. Another conversation about him not being good enough then.

"Dad, I tell you ever time! I'm trying to be a good Viking, a good son, a good heir, even. I'm trying really hard! Is that not enough for you? Well I suppose is isn't. But what can I do about that? I don't even want to run the village, I never asked to be the Chief's son! You can make Snotlout first in line if you want, but if he ever does become Chief just know that I'll be out of here as fast as my fishbone legs can carry me!" Hiccup, who rarely let his dad get under his skin, was feeling particularly tired and worn out, completely lost his cool. He went to go upstairs again, but once more Stoick stopped him.

"Wait, no Hiccup this isn't what this is about!"

Hiccup, though he felt very strongly that this was entirely about, sat back down again, glared at his father.

"You should know by now that I would never put Snotlout as my first heir, he would have the village in shambles overnight. You're clever enough, Son, I know you'd be excellent at chiefing when it comes to certain things, but well, with all of these attacks going on right now, and I know you never pay any attention to your warfare classes, that you wouldn't be able to handle the raids very well, you know?"

Hiccup calmed down a bit at hearing that his dad didn't think he was entirely useless.

"But what are you going to do about that?"

"Well at first I didn't know what to do either but then Hiccup, as I always say, everything has an answer. Son I want you to start thinking about getting married."

"Married?" This was just a bit too much for Hiccup to handle. "MARRIED? Dad you can't be serious! I'm fourteen! And to who? No one would want to marry me!"

"Hiccup I'm dead serious. And you have to try to understand that this is the only way! It's not the end of the world now is it! You know that marriages at your age, though, yes are relatively uncommon are not completely unheard of! And I'm sure we can find someone who will take you, and if they don't at first we'll just have to provide more than half of the dowry for her. And even if we can't get anyone on Berk to marry you, we can always renew a peace treaty or even begin one! If I remember correctly the Meathead tribe have a female heir, a treaty with them is exactly what we need. Maybe we could get their help to find the dragon nest!"

Hiccup remembered Bertha the Exceptionally Fat exceptionally well. She was well, an exceptionally fat girl with an ugly face that would not shut up. They had met once when there was a gathering of tribes for a gaming event. She had bested Hiccup (like everyone else) in every tournament. The worst thing about her though was that Odin forbid you start a conversation with, even if you're just trying to be friendly. She would talk nonsense for hours, or until you gave her some food. Hiccup, of course made this very mistake upon meeting her and her brother Thuggory. Thuggory, despite being a very desirable heir, and you would expect him to join in with the teasing of Hiccup, took a liking to Hiccup when he heard him muttering comebacks under his breath when Snotlout was making fun of him, and also when he saw Hiccup drawing a very accurate picture of Snotlout in a journal along with a couple of lines of inappropriate poetry underneath. For this Hiccup liked Thuggory, and saw him as one of his only friends.

However when Stoick saw the look of sheer horror at this suggestion he quickly reassured Hiccup that Mogadon, her father, chief of the Meatheads, would most likely not allow it, considering she was only eleven.

"So what about on Berk then son?" Stoick said laughingly. "Anyone who takes your fancy?"

Hiccup didn't know what to say.

"I don't think so." He said, trying to sound blank.

"Well what about Ruffnut. I suppose she' s more trouble than she's worth. Quite literally, eh, son?" Stoick roared at his own joke, which was even worse than some of Hiccups puns.

Hiccup pretended to laugh at this.

"What about Astrid then? She's a promising warrior Hiccup. And a pretty one at that!" Stoick laughed again.

Hiccup did not need telling this. He harboured a very private crush on Astrid. Well, private from everyone except Gobber, who on various occasions caught him staring. She was strong, fast at running, excellent at sword fighting and, as her name suggested, very beautiful. With blue eyes and blonde hair, she was like a little Valkyrie. And yet every single day he had to watch her live on as if he weren't there. She didn't join in with the 'let's make fun of Hiccup because he's a fishbone' scheme. At first Hiccup fancied that she liked him in secret too, and that one day they would be together. But he quickly realised that he was being stupid because she glared at him when he did things wrong, refused to accept his offers of help, and generally had never done anything nice to him, even if she wasn't necessarily mean to him. He supposed he just wasn't good enough for her.

But that didn't stop him. He had a small collection of drawings just of her, and a journal that was half filled with some badly-written poetry and some records of things she said and conversations they shared. The 'conversations' section was very short, so it wouldn't be a lie to say that he eavesdropped in on conversations she had with other people to make up for it in the 'things she says' chapter. It was a work in progress.

The problem with what his dad had just said was that getting married to Astrid had always been a little fantasy of his, an sometimes, in the hours he spent alone in the forge or in the forest or, in fact, anywhere, seeing as he was nearly always on his own, he liked to live an alternate life in his head where they were a couple, and he lived through each day adding something to his little daydream.

So now that marrying her was potentially an option, he felt very uncomfortable, for in his fantasies she always loved him back, whereas she would live a life in misery if she were to be saddled up with him for the rest of her life.

"Maybe you could even get me a grandson!" The burly man found what he had just said very funny, while it seemed to disturb Hiccup slightly.

"Uh, I would definitely not get your hopes up." Hiccup said, trying to keep the conversation light.

Hiccup decided that it would probably be best if he best if he leave before he felt anymore awkward.

"There aren't any more life changing alterations now are there?"

"I don't think so. Spitelout still thinks he's the best, Gobber's hand and foot still haven't grow back. If you want to go to bed now son, I have nothing left to talk to about." He gestured towards the stairs.

"Oh thank Woden!" Hiccup muttered and hurriedly made his way up to his room, leaving Stoick sighing after him, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

It had been a long day, within the space of three hours he had learned that a girl who had once been a friend was still alive after years of believing she was dead, that he finally had his wish of killing dragons, and now he had to think about getting married to Astrid. 'Well at least I get to have dragon training,' he thought, before remembering that he had no experience with dragons, wielding weapons, or with not ruining everything, and that he had no luck whatsoever, and that every other viking teen did.

Hiccup tried not to think of the embarrassment that would follow the next day, but still it churned his insides. The thought of Katia was a little overwhelming, but the training! He had always dreamed of finally slaying a dragon and finally being acknowledged as something other than a waste of space, but the spark had been flooded by the words Katia had said earlier. ' _They've never hurt me'._ He'd been brought up to fear dragons, to kill them, rid of them. Everyone on Berk had at least one scar from a dragon, whether it be his own small scratch on his chin, or Gobber who lacked half an arm and a foot, but Katia seemed to have no visible dragon markings; she'd hardly been grazed, besides some of the deep scratches on her hands that he recognised to be from trees and thorns. And she'd been practically unarmed and most certainly physically closer to dragons for more time than anyone in village at once. Surely the dragons he knew would have devoured her with relish!

Hiccup glanced at his desk across his room from his bed. On it, there lay the miniature battle axes and war hammers he had carved from an oak branch the other day. He moved his gaze to the axe his Dad had given to him before he had turned out to be such a disappointment that hung up on his wall. Bitterness spiked him, prickling against his freckles. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he have had Snotlouts' strength? Why did he have to be the useless one?

Once more, he attempted to focus on the fuzzy picture of Katia in his mind. She hadn't thought of him as useless, back when they were younger. He remembered the wind tickling his cheeks, and the water leaking from his ears as he felt her gaze on him. He had sensed that she was nervous, and other than the shaking at first, she'd been perfectly confident in trusting him even after all these years. She didn't seem to care that he was a screw-up. But then again maybe she didn't know.

His feelings went numb inside. He honestly had no idea what he was going to do.

Hiccup went over to the chest at the foot of his bed, and pulled out another tunic, brown. It was longer than his others and reserved it for sleeping in. As he changed, he closed his eyes. He was stuck here, while Katia was goodness knows where doing goodness knows what. And Astrid would probably be throwing her axe at a tree, or thinking about doing just that while she was really in bed. His eyes flickered across his floor one last time, and before his skin could freeze off from the cold he dived into his bed, throwing the dense mass of furs over him. He usually slept without that many furs, as it was considered sissy, but he had a lot to do tomorrow, and needed all the sleep he could get; hours of shivering just weren't going to cut it this time.

From the crack in his ceiling that he had been meaning to fix, the night sky darted in, and moonlight trickled from it, brightening his room. It reminded him yet again of the moment his forest eyes met Katia's bright blue gems, sparkling, or maybe it was just the sunset light. Either way, he drowned when he stayed staring for maybe a few seconds too long. Darkness surrounded him, and a chilling sensation sneered at him, but he was too tired to care. Too much happened in the short space of time. But his eyes snapped open at him remembering something important, something big. He had shot down a night fury.

* * *

 **So that was that! I think I used italics more, do you like it? I hope I didn't make that many mistakes. I don't know if I should actually put something in my profile? Should I? Anyway, please, please leave a review, or message me or whatever about what you think of my work, it means a heck of a lot more to me than you think, or if you want to do something? You know what that sentence made no sense I should really go.**

 **'Till the next time then, Byyeeee :)**


	5. NOTE

**HUGE GIGANTIC DISCLAIMER: THIS ISNT A PROPER CHAPTER JUST A LONG EXPLANATORY AUTHORS NOTE!**

* * *

 **So I don't know if it's just me or is this story not going anywhere? When I first started this (my first fanfiction to have posted) I was full of ideas but, as with all my other stories, is fading out. I think the idea's just going stale. I will attempt to continue writing, but the writers block is real right now, and anything I write is blocky and bad quality. Or maybe all of my writing is like that. What does anyone think, the 44 people that viewed the last chapter? If you think I should continue please let me know, because apparently the only motivation I have to do anything is for other people to benefit out of it. Also any ideas you have will** ** _really_** **help.**

 **Well that's what I have to say...**


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